Hearthstone Phoenix vs Jotul Carrabasset

Get your self a temp gun or a stove top therm, when my shelburne is running 350-400 flue im alot lower on the stove top. Dry wood is a big part of it, lll let my wood burn in and see flue temps 600-700 easy then the stove comes up to 500 and puts out nice heat. Id say its more a wood issue and use the thermometers untill you get a good feel of how the stove burns. Im still learning mine!

I absolutely love the jotul line. plain, simple and easy to operate. I'm not familiar with the F55 Carrabasset but I have a f3CB I use to heat my upstairs, about 1200 sq feet. I started out with an old 602 I got for free that's retired but not forgotten and will be set up again someday. I get a good six hrs burn with the f3cb but often longer especially if I pack it good and shut it down for the night. I was going to suggest a f600 firelight with your high ceilings and glass you mention but I see it has a higher efficiency rating and higher btu using shorter wood......more with less. sounds good to me.

I agree that it sounds like a wood issue. Leaving the air open sends all the heat out the stack. Shutting the air down with wet wood chokes the fire till it smolders.
The Phoenix is probably on the small side for 24/7 heating in your climate.

We have a hearthstone Phoenix in our 1500sq ft ranch. When I get it rolling the whole house can be 75 degrees. Most of our windows leak cold air and need to be replaced as well as our patio door that has bad glass. There is about 7" cellulose insulation in the attic. House was built in 94' and was never even caulked. Its caulked and painted now. Still lots of updates to do. I tried burning fresh split oak that was dead 1.5years and it burned terribly. The oak is all over 20 percent moisture. For $30 you can buy the general moisture meter. I also have the general infrared thermometer. It helps getting accurate stove temps. I burn ash at MM readings of about 15 or less. I'm getting 6hr burns on full loads easy.

Your house sounds a lot like ours. We've got~ 1700sqft main and ~750 upstairs. Cathedral is 26' high. Jotul F55 seems to be working well. We also have spray foam and batts in the walls and cellulose in ceiling. Super airtight but lots of glass which loses a lot of heat at night but we're south facing so we benefit during the day big time. Here's a pic.

With my heritage I'm heating bout 1300 sq ft...12' ceilings. ..keeps it between 70-73 depending on how I load it...ive had it to bout 580...throws off a lot of heat...but I'm still new to this and I need to find better ways to distribute the heat...

The phoenix is rated to 60,000 btu which should run you out of that room if you are burning seasoned hardwood and operating the stove correctly. I am heating from a 1080sq ft basement, the main floor(another 1080) above and a loft of 200sq ft & the great room is right above the stove. It is 30'x20' with 20' cathederal and big glass similar to jzinc's(nice pad by the way). I can generally maintain 68 degrees on the main & loft with nothing but two computer fans under the floor at two registers & get consistent 8 hr burns when fully loaded for the night...and my wood this year is marginal.

Your stove should see 6-7 hr burns, so you need to re-examine how you are doing things.

czydrm said:

There is a 45 degree coming out of the stove and then straight up through the ceiling into the attic and then 30 degree offset toward the top in the attic. Also, the house is on top of a hill with no trees sheltering it. It's a great site for a windmill!

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Forgot to mention our stack is 21' with two 45 degree elbows on the inside then straight up. Sounds very similar to yours

I have a Phoenix. Two things. You need a damper, and dry wood. Very dry wood. You get virtually zero heat unless you reduce the air intake. I have gotten mine to 400 before but usually cruise at 300. 6 hour burn times should not be a problem. Go buy 3 bundles of kiln dried wood like oak, throwsome on a bed of coals and watch what happens. Once it gets good and hot, cut back the air almost all the way over a 5-10 min period. Get that damper!

I too have it in a great room with cathedral ceilings. I live in the open, no windbreaks for mile and on a hill. When its windy it cannot keep up. 2250 sq ft. Leaky house. Going to upgrade to an Ashford I think. I want a little more heat and a longer burn time.